Search results: (10000)
News How to Dose Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction?
In patients after myocardial infarction (MI), there is a frequent administration of too low doses of beta-blockers (BB) and rare upward titration of their dose after discharge from the hospital. The SWEDEHEART study investigated to what extent the BB dose actually affects 5-year cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, and data from the American registry allowed a focus on mortality after MI depending on BB dosing.
News Polatuzumab Vedotin in Combination Treatment of Patients with R/R DLBCL
Polatuzumab Vedotin is a conjugate of a cytostatic agent and an antibody against CD79b, a component of the B-lymphocyte receptor typically expressed by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells. In combination with bendamustine and rituximab (pola-BR), this drug is administered in the 3rd and subsequent lines of treatment for relapsed or refractory (R/R) DLBCL. If allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is not feasible, patients with R/R DLBCL generally have a very poor prognosis, with limited further treatment options. However, at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) congress held in December 2019 in Orlando, promising results were presented from extended follow-up of patients treated in clinical studies with the pola-BR combination.
News Criteria for Progression in Fibrotic Non-IPF Interstitial Lung Disease
Fibrotic interstitial lung disease (fILD) is a challenging condition to manage with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. The currently published review analyzes the criteria for its progression defining the presence of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), describes their relative prevalence, and prognostic significance.
News Incontinence Affects Mental Health – Actively Offer Help
Urinary incontinence is not a disease, but a symptom accompanying many illnesses. It is a very serious issue, which is also closely related to the quality of life and mental health of the patient. This is confirmed by the words of Austrian physician and co-founder of the field of neurourology Helmut Madersbacher: “Incontinence does not kill a person, but it kills their life.”
News Ivabradine and/or Sacubitril/Valsartan in the Treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
Ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan are used in the second line of therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The aim of the study presented below was to evaluate the synergistic effect of these modern medications.
News Extension of Expected Lifetime When Treated with Empagliflozin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Reduction in expected lifetime is one of the main consequences of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). It is estimated that a 60-year-old patient with T2DM loses an average of 6–7 years of life compared to a person of the same age without T2DM. What impact does modern pharmacotherapy have on this adverse balance?
News Benefit of Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease – Results of the EMPA-KIDNEY Study
The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) empagliflozin is currently used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic heart failure regardless of ejection fraction value. Its impact on renal function and the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) irrespective of the presence of T2DM was specifically evaluated in the double-blind placebo-controlled EMPA-KIDNEY study.
News How do patients perceive the change in appearance of chronically used medications and to what extent does it lead to non-adherence to therapy?
Doctors regularly encounter patients in their offices who complain about changes in the appearance of their chronically used medications. Such a change can even be the cause of non-adherence to treatment. Interesting findings on this topic were brought by an American survey aimed at identifying the preferences, experiences, and reactions of patients and pharmacists related to changes in the appearance of medications.
News Cenobamate − A Case Study from Slovak Real Practice
Cenobamate is indicated for adjunctive therapy of focal seizures with or without secondary generalization in adult patients who have not achieved sufficient results with previous treatment with at least 2 antiepileptics. This new anti-seizure medication with a dual mechanism of action thus brings another therapeutic option for patients refractory to treatment. At the November 34th Slovak-Czech Epileptology Congress in Bratislava, during a symposium titled “Is there hope for a quality life with epilepsy?” doc. MUDr. Eva Feketeová, PhD., from the Neurological Clinic LF UPJŠ and UNLP in Košice shared her first experiences with cenobamate in clinical practice.
News FLEX – A New Predictive Model for Assessing Follicular Lymphoma Risks
Overall survival of patients with advanced-stage follicular lymphoma (FL) who experience early disease progression after chemotherapy remains low. Currently used clinical prognostic models do not provide optimal sensitivity and specificity for identifying this patient subgroup. The presented study by an international team of authors introduced a new assessment index that achieves better outcomes.
News Efficacy and Safety of Romosozumab in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis and Renal Impairment
The coexistence of osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases the risk of fractures and overall mortality in patients. A recent post-hoc analysis of two controlled randomized multicenter studies (FRAME and ARCH) investigated the efficacy and safety of romosozumab in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and mild to moderate CKD.
News Prediction of Ischemic Stroke Risk in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Using a Simplified Score
Ischemic strokes (iCMP) are a common cause of death or significant disability in developed countries. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are affected by them even more frequently than the general population. A newly developed scoring system is capable of predicting the risk of iCMP in these patients.
News Composition of the Intestinal Microbiota of Patients with IBS May Predetermine the Success of a Diet with Low Fermentable Carbohydrates
Some patients with irritable bowel syndrome may benefit from a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates, but the mechanism of this intervention is not yet satisfactorily explained. A study published in Gut focused on the relationship between the composition of the intestinal microbiota and clinical response to dietary intervention.
News The Future of Multiple Sclerosis – Time for a Change in Classification?
What are the latest findings on the etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis? Are they reflected in the current classification? And what will future therapy look like?
News Ocrelizumab in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis – 10-Year Data
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong disease with a high risk of permanent disability. Current information on the long-term efficacy and safety of treatment is therefore absolutely essential for the optimal choice of therapeutic agent – in this case, ocrelizumab.
News Alzheimer's Disease – Another Pandemic on the Horizon?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, other current problems often get pushed into the background. One of these is the aging population and the increasing prevalence of dementia. The key question thus becomes how to extend the period of active aging as much as possible.
News Full Compensation of Seizures as the Main Goal of Epilepsy Therapy: Will Patients Achieve It More Easily Than 20 Years Ago?
What is the relationship between the quality of life of patients and the degree of seizure compensation? Have the new antiepileptics (ASM) developed over the last decades improved the overall success rate of therapy?
News Effect of Combination of Dorzolamide with Timolol for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
In some eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), exudation does not stop despite frequent intravitreal injections of vascular endothelial factor blockers (anti-VEGF). Adjuvant therapy that reduces edema may improve overall treatment outcomes concerning visual functions. A recently published multicenter randomized clinical study evaluated the effect of local therapy combining dorzolamide and timolol in patients with this issue.
News Metformin with Extended Release in the Treatment of Prediabetes
The benefit of metformin in preventing the development of diabetes in people with prediabetes has been demonstrated in clinical studies. However, these studies evaluated immediate-release metformin, not its extended-release form (XR). Therefore, the results of an observational study conducted at Polish and Hungarian centers, which examined the efficacy and safety of metformin XR in patients with prediabetes, are important in this context. It is also necessary to add that in our country, no drug containing this active substance has yet received an approved indication for the therapy of patients with prediabetes.
News Therapy of Chronic Leg Ulcers According to Evidence-Based Medicine
Chronic ulcers on the lower extremities are defined as trophic defects that show no signs of healing after 3 months of appropriate treatment or are not healed even after 12 months of treatment. Their incidence and prevalence are continuously increasing, and they currently represent not only a serious medical problem but also a socioeconomic issue. An overview article published by German physicians focuses on summarizing the therapy of leg ulcers according to the principles of evidence-based medicine.
News ESC 2022: Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction as an Underdiagnosed Problem: How to Increase Its Detection in Everyday Practice?
During this year's European Society of Cardiology Congress (ESC 2022), alarming information was shared, indicating that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction of the left ventricle (HFpEF) is likely underdiagnosed in clinical practice, necessitating improved identification and detection of patients with this condition. One of the symposiums addressed not only the reasons why many patients with HFpEF are misdiagnosed.
News Efficacy of Luspatercept in 1st Line Treatment of Anemia Due to Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome
A planned interim analysis of the COMMANDS study showed a greater benefit of the innovative treatment with luspatercept compared to the established treatment with epoetin alfa in patients with anemia due to low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and untreated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA). The results were published in June 2023 in the journal Lancet.
News Glucagon for Intranasal Application Newly Available Also in the Czech Republic
Intramuscular administration of glucagon was until recently the only option for acute treatment of hypoglycemia with impaired consciousness at home. However, since July this year, the Baqsimi product – glucagon for intranasal application – is newly available in the Czech Republic.